American Presidents Attend the Theatre

<p> Not every presidential visit to the theatre is as famous as Lincoln's last night at Ford's but American presidents attended the theatre long before and long after that ill-fated night. In 1751 George Washington saw his first play <I>The London Merchant</I> during a visit to Barbados. John Quincy Adams published dramatic critiques. William McKinley avoided the theatre while in office on professional as well as moral grounds. Richard Nixon met his wife at a community theatre audition. Surveying 255 years this volume examines presidential theatre-going as it has reflected shifting popular tastes in America.</p>